Milwaukee Bucks: Team gets massive update on Rodney Hood’s status

Throughout their first three preseason games, the Milwaukee Bucks have looked rather good, despite missing several key pieces of their roster.

The list of Bucks yet to appear includes household names like Donte DiVincenzo, Bobby Portis, Semi Ojeleye, and Rodney Hood, all of whom have been battling through respective health issues. While no update was given on the first three, The Athletic’s Eric Nehm reported Monday afternoon that Hood told reporters he expects to play in Milwaukee’s preseason game Wednesday versus the Utah Jazz. This came shortly after the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Jim Owczarski reported the forward had returned to Milwaukee’s Monday practice in full.

Hood had been limited in practice and absent in the preseason entirely over the past few weeks as he had a battle with some right foot soreness. The veteran has had an extended bout with injuries over the past two seasons, enduring an Achilles injury in 2019-20, along with a fractured hand and a nagging hip injury that cut his 2020-21 campaign short. Coming off that list of injuries, the Bucks were certainly not going to rush him back. While there was some concern about Hood’s foot soreness, these updates from Nehm and Owczarski provide some clarity regarding Hood’s health that he is nearing full strength.

What should be expected of Rodney Hood’s debut with the Milwaukee Bucks if he does indeed play against the Utah Jazz Wednesday?

There will certainly be some rust from Hood in his first action with the Bucks. The 28-year-old has played just 76 games over the past two seasons due to injuries, and this will mark the first time he has been healthy in a long time. The offseason has hopefully given him a genuine chance to work himself back into his pre-injury form, but with hardly any practice time under his belt with his new team, Hood still might be a step slow. Considering these factors, he likely will not play hefty time, just enough to get his feet wet and get back out on the court alongside his new teammates in a real game.

All eyes will be on Hood’s scoring ability once he takes the floor for the first time, as that is how he has made a living in this league. However, largely due to those injuries, he is coming off the least productive season of his career after averaging 4.5 points per game while shooting 36.2 percent from the floor and 30.1 percent from deep. For a player that averaged double-digit points in four of his first five seasons, he is surely capable of regaining his scoring touch, and this game will be the first look at that potential in a Bucks uniform.

The biggest thing for Hood moving forward will be his availability and whether or not he can stay on the court. He is someone that could help this team nightly with that scoring prowess off the bench, and he could be a staple in the rotation this coming season because of it. Considering the Bucks got Hood on what can be categorized as a one-year “prove it” deal, they understood that he has had his health concerns over the past two years and that he wants to showcase he can still play at the highest level in this league.

As it stands, Wednesday night should mark the start of Hood’s comeback tour, and all eyes will be looking in his direction against his former team in Utah.